MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tens of thousands of people have used London’s overnight subway service after it was launched in the early hours of Saturday, UK public body Transport for London (TfL) said in a statement.
"The first Night Tube services had a successful launch overnight… In all, 50,000 customer journeys were completed using the new Night Tube service, which will support thousands of jobs and boost the Capital's 24-hour economy," the TfL said.
The new service was launched by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who took the first Victoria Line Night Tube.
The mayor noted that the Night Tube would provide a huge boost to the UK capital and demonstrates that "London is open," as quoted in the statement.
The Night Tube service allows passengers to travel 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays on the Central and Victoria lines. A 24-hour service will also start on the Jubilee and most of the Northern and Piccadilly lines in fall, and later will be extended to parts of the Metropolitan, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines.
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson previously planned to launch the service in September 2015, but the plan was postponed due to a standoff with trade unions over wages and working conditions.